PIF of hardware here is fine, tobacco PIF's should be in the Stock Exchange.
Brown Leaf Newbie Check-In & General Chat
- Thread starter Boro62
- Start date
Understood, I’ll repost after my 45 days. Thank you.
Any pointers for a good set of starter stuff at a shop? Prefer to stay under $100 all in since I am not sure pipe smoking is for me.
- I don't mind buying an estate
- I don't like the aesthetics of a corn cob pipe
Welcome, TKNX! You can find good estate pipes on Etsy and eBay, plus Smokingpipes.com and Blue Room Briars both have name brand estates available, often for less than $50. Names like Comoy, Georg Jensen, Stanwell, and Mastercraft are all good bets. An estate Peterson or Savinelli might be out of your price range, unless it's really beat up. I prefer my pipes to look nice, if not brand new; your preference may vary.
For a starter tobacco, go with Sir Walter Raleigh in the pouch, or one of the "match" blends from PipesandCigars or WVSmokeShop like Field & Stream Match. Half & Half in the pouch is good, but it may not be to your taste. You can pick up some pipe cleaners and a simple tamping nail from those sites too. Wooden matches from your grocery will round out your set.
For a cleaning liquid, some vanilla extract works fine. Or you can buy one of those $2.00 mini-bottles of rum at Walmart and dip your pipe cleaners into it before running them through your pipe. This does not *have* to be an expensive hobby!
For a starter tobacco, go with Sir Walter Raleigh in the pouch, or one of the "match" blends from PipesandCigars or WVSmokeShop like Field & Stream Match. Half & Half in the pouch is good, but it may not be to your taste. You can pick up some pipe cleaners and a simple tamping nail from those sites too. Wooden matches from your grocery will round out your set.
For a cleaning liquid, some vanilla extract works fine. Or you can buy one of those $2.00 mini-bottles of rum at Walmart and dip your pipe cleaners into it before running them through your pipe. This does not *have* to be an expensive hobby!
Unless you spend a lot of time reading posts and falling under the spell of the enablers here!
Which really makes this forum no different than any other on this site!
Check out TP (tobacco pipes dot com). They have what looks like some decent Molina starter sets in briar in various finishes for about 40 bucks which includes some pipe cleaners, some filters (in case you want to go that route) and a pipe tool with a tamper, poker, and spoon.
That leaves you with enough to get a pouch of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic, Half and Half, Borkum Riff, Captain Black, Amphora, and Missouri Meerschaum at about 5 to 7 bucks a pouch. Some of the brands mentioned have various "flavors" so spend some time looking at the bottom of each page where they will tell you the tobacco type blend and cut, what flavors if any it has been topped with, what its strength is on a scale of 1 to 5, and how it smells to others by "room note".
Ask questions here, these guys are sharp and they know whereof they speak. They aren't interested in sales and can give you good, unbiased (except for personal preferences of course) advice.
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That's the million dollar question. Here is like soaps in your milage varying. I would start off with Peter Stokkebye tobaccos. Very good quality leaf and blending. It's a good way to get a feel for what's out there (English compared to Virginia compared to burley etc), but there's so many good choices out there. Any of the trusted tobacco websites will help with estate pipes until you start learning what to look for when hunting in the wilderness of the Bay and other places.
Look at the Falcon threads here. I concede it is not a traditional design but if you don’t want to go the cob route it is an economical way to get 1 stem and 2-3 bowls for the most common flavor families - Aromatics, Virginia/Burleys unflavored, English = with Latakia).
I would stay away from Aromatics for the time being and would start out with and easygoing English like Early Morning Pipe and one of the OTC Codger blends that are so loved by the members here. The flavor of an English is very accessible and you will know if you like this style quite early on. If not just try something different and revisit it later.
@AimlessWanderer has had very good luck with Mr. Brog and I think a couple other similar pipes. Dr. Grabow isn't anything special, but they do the job. Think about basket pipes too.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
A lot of Mr Brog pipes are pearwood. I like them, but wouldn't recommend them to a beginner. Definitely briar or cob would be my suggestion.
Good call on the Falcon. As to aromatics, I would personally amend that slightly, by saying non-Cavendish aromatics would be fine. If it has Cavendish and toppings, leave it alone for now. If it has Cavendish OR toppings, but not both, it may well be worth trying a sample if the sales blurb or reviews appeal to you.
Hello and Welcome!
If it were me, I'd buy three cobs, a 40 pack of regular cleaners, a Czech tool (combo tamper, spoon and poker), and a pouch of one of the OTC standards (which at this time is usually Sir Walter Raleigh in the orange wrapper, often just called "SWR"). Most decent tobacconists catering to pipe smoking should have that at the counter, and it should set you back about $30 or less. You can probably get several packs of matches for free as they are ringing it up.
I'd initially steer clear of any off-standard hardwood pipes or something that requires more careful handling (such as a meer) as a starter pipe. A cob is bulletproof, they are generally good smokers, and they are inexpensive. No need to spend more than that to test the waters. If you find it's not for you, you can gift the two cobs to friends, and feel very little financial pain.
If you can't find a local shop, then some of the big online vendors are always happy to induct new pipe smokers. Tobaccopipes and Smokingpipes are two of the big ones. And a lot of the bigger cigar vendors also have a decent starter pipe line card, too. Some might even offer "starter kits" for beginners, but I tend to prefer the method above, which is usually cheaper. The couple pages of 'instructions' the former include can be obtained at places such as here. It's not rocket science.
Start with that, and use the first cob with the SWR, to start learning the basics of good pipemanship. Packing, lighting, draw, sipping and the like are all so much easier with a simple American OTC, as it won't punish you as harshly for your early mistakes ... as say some aromatics and other imported blends might. If the cob has a filter (most do), use it for the first three smokes, and then remove it. The filter will handle just about any mistake you make, although most OTC Burleys will just go tasteless, and not bite, if you abuse them. Then try it filterless, and see how it goes. If you find that you prefer the filter, wander back to the pipe counter and ask for a 10-pack box. But most enjoy smoking a cob filterless, and they are happy to oblige.
You can check in here or on many other pipe smoking websites with the older hands, who will happily guide you though the basics. It's not hard or complicated at all to take up pipe smoking. No 26-step packing videos or complex breathing patterns are required. It's merely just developing a handful of new habits that will equate to a good, relaxing experience. And once you get them down, like riding a bicycle, they will become automatic.
The paramount purpose of pipe smoking is relaxation. Relaxation and pleasure. If you find you are not relaxing or enjoying it, set it aside (even in mid-pipe), and come back to it later. If you have an unsatisfying pipe, ignore it, and think about the next nice one you'll have later. And don't pay attention to time. It's hard to relax when you are timing your smokes. And a perfect 5 or 10 minute smoke will be far more satisfying than a 30 minute one that you are constantly working on. If you can't finish the whole thing, don't worry about it. Dump the remainder, and come back again tomorrow with a fresh bowl.
Once you get that first cob (and you) settled in on the SWR, wander on back to your tobacco shop and ask them for a few samples for starting smokers. You'll probably get handed a bag of 1-Q and a few other big traditional sellers. The 1-Q is the modern classic first aromatic, but I would ask the tobacconist to also give you something with a little more Virginia (VA) in it, perhaps a tin of Orlik Golden Slices (if you are daring), or maybe even a pouch of Sir Walter Aromatic. These are still basic but good and long-revered blends. And another bag of pipe cleaners and a handful of matchboxes. Again, you'll probably walk out spending another $25 or less.
Whatever tobacco you buy, don't buy more than 3-4 ounces to start out. Buying a pound of something you find you don't like is never a fun way to get started.
Smoke the new stuff, particularly if it is an aromatic, in the second cob. Keep enjoying the first cob with your more simple Burleys such as the SWR. Once you can really taste the flavor of the SWR on a regular basis, you've got it down. Every other blend will then be a breeze, even the sometimes-difficult Danish blends that can scorch the careless.
The joy of this approach is if the SWR and the first cob teach you right, the next steps will be so much easier and more enjoyable. Many starting pipers do it backwards, and try to learn the ropes on an aromatic or complicated English, and develop habits that make tasting and enjoying a good, long, cool smoke more difficult.
By this point, you'll probably start following the new sale threads at the bigger online vendors, and start venturing into new horizons with the usual big blender houses that many chase, such as Sutliff, C&D, MacBaren, and some of the upscale Europeans, such as Peterson and the Gawith twins.
If you find yourself smoking and enjoying one or two blends all or most of the time, eventually, you can stock up on them. Bulk and in tubs, it becomes more affordable. Some gentlemen here have cellars with hundreds of pounds of pipe tobacco in them. It can get addictive, quickly, if you are not careful ... especially once you get on certain e-mail lists. And some tobaccos do not age as well as some others, so take your time, and ask lots of questions as you grow your own 'stash'. There are plenty of smart people here to help you.
But cut your teeth on the classics. There's a reason they have outlasted all the others, and there's a reason some of the most seasoned pipe smokers keep coming back to them.
And by then, you'll also start looking at briars, new ones and estates, and many other vessels for smoking your new favorite blends.
Good luck and happy puffs to you!
There is nothing at all wrong with your approach. It sounds like you got a very nice pipe.
Please be sure to share your journey with us.
A Savinelli estate will be a solid smoker. Post a pic of it when you get a chance!
I've never tried any of the Amphora blends. They were available at my local drugstore in the '80s, so they were popular -- and there must have been a reason. I'll bet you enjoy at least some of them.
I've got a stupid question for the Pipe Veterans here.
My routine is to shake or pinch out a bowl full into my drying tray, and I put the jar away (neatness) while it dries.
Often, I misjudge how much I need for a bowl. If it's less - not a big deal, but if it is more, I just leave it in the tray.
When I get down to the dottle, I will often tamp down and add the left over amount from the drying tray into the bowl, tamp it and relight.
The advantage is that it's kind of nice to freshen up the dottle, but I don't know if there is some reason I shouldn't be doing this.
I have some pipes I got in a lot from Italy that were burned through, and I don't want to be doing any potential damage to my pipes, but I don't see any increase in bowl temperature or any other issues when I do it.
Does anyone else do this? Is this a bad practice?
My routine is to shake or pinch out a bowl full into my drying tray, and I put the jar away (neatness) while it dries.
Often, I misjudge how much I need for a bowl. If it's less - not a big deal, but if it is more, I just leave it in the tray.
When I get down to the dottle, I will often tamp down and add the left over amount from the drying tray into the bowl, tamp it and relight.
The advantage is that it's kind of nice to freshen up the dottle, but I don't know if there is some reason I shouldn't be doing this.
I have some pipes I got in a lot from Italy that were burned through, and I don't want to be doing any potential damage to my pipes, but I don't see any increase in bowl temperature or any other issues when I do it.
Does anyone else do this? Is this a bad practice?
I've never tried that. I misjudge the amount I need all the time. After I do the false light, I'll set the pipe aside and slide the dried extra leaf back into its pouch or envelope or can, so as not to waste it.
I thought of just dropping it back in the jar, but my thinking was that the accumulated effect of putting dried tobacco back in the jar is to slowly dry out whatever I have in the jar over the course of time.
Nothing at all wrong with that practice. Alternatively, you can always spoon out a partially smoked bowl and stuff your excess in mid-smoke. As long as you don’t have too big a layer of ash between the two, it will be fine. And even if you do, that’s what a tamper and spoon are for. I wouldn’t overthink it.
As far as chamber holes, burn throughs, and other irregularities, the traditional practice is to fill them with a paste of water and cigar ash. As long as you don’t later dig the bowl like a strip miner, that usually sets up pretty good as a respectable insulating cake alternative for those areas. But use cigar ash; for whatever reason, other tobacco ashes are not as effective.
